Aah! Talking Bug!
Arcee strolls in, carrying her work satchel. She was kind of hoping to find him here, because she was going to ask him about Kickback, but that might need to wait. Frowning slightly, she takes a seat up at the bar. Just a seat or two away sits a mech with the kind of paint job best suited for low-key, subtle recon: the kind of thing that fades into the background, easy to overlook. If you're standing in the middle of a forest fire. Hot Rod's settled with a drink in hand. It's not a very good drink. It looks like the kind of drink you order to avoid getting kicked out. Since he hasn't been kicked out, it must be doing its job. His expression is open and friendly, and he meets Arcee's absent frown with a quick smile of hello. "Hey," he greets, with the welcoming sort of manner that assumes anyone and everyone he meets is or wants to be his friend. Then he notices the Senate sigil, and his expression mutes somewhat. Arcee looks over at Hot Rod, and in a bit of surprise (coming from a Senate worker!), smiles kindly in his direction. "Hello! I don't think I've ever seen you in here before. You a racer?" The mech entering would not be easily recognize as he not wearing the mask this time and his paint job is black with red racing stripes, bearing no faction sigil. Even the cybertronian tattoos have shifted color. Lockdown scans the room for a moment, raising an optic ridge as he recognizes a familiar femme. Quickly resisting the urge since this is a public place he makes his way towards the bar. Occasionally glancing towards the crowd as he chooses that least for now he's off the clock, especially since he sets his own hours. Unbeknownst to Arcee, she's had a tail for some time. No, not an actual a tail - someone tailing her. Bored out of his grasshopper mind, Kickback waited until the researchers had left the enclosure for the evening, and then used their own passwords and card keys to get out of his cage. They weren't expecting an animal to be able to get out, and as such, escape, even for someone with his inexperience, was a piece of oil cake. Outside, he learned he could fly. Tucking his wings against his sides his body shifted slightly into jet-mode and Kickback experienced true freedom for the first time through the air of Vos. Assumed to be a seeker he was not bothered, and he amused himself on the wing for a good long while... but he was missing something. It had been awhile since the Queen was nearby, and instincts told him he needed to stay close to the Queen. He had memorized her unique EMF signature - like a fingerprint, really - and was searching for her among the millions of other cybertronians below, finally locating her in Rodion. Landing on the roof of the establishment, he was peering down into the building through the stained glass window above, casting a shadow on the floor. Somewhat inevitably, Hot Rod straightens. This allows the light to better play across the flames emblazoned on his chestplate. (As previously mentioned, these have all the subtlety of a forest fire.) Her smile kindles one in turn, though he glances back at her sigil and satchel with obvious curiosity. He looks past her a moment, noting Lockdown's gaze, but then looking to Arcee. "Yeah, no, you wouldn't have. Just kind of passing through. I'm not like a /racer/-racer, but I've raced a time or two. Hot Rod," he introduces himself. He offers his hand with a friendliness surely too familiar for a /Queen./ Rewind enters the bar, stopping at the doorway to look around. He's a small Bot, and has the slightly wary look of someone used to low caste living... but he's not cowed or timid at all. Just... alert. The gray and white mech walks into the bar, taking his time to look around at the sights. He hasn't actually been IN here before, and this is all new, interesting, and.... is that a camera attached to his helmet? Why yes, it is. It seems to be taking in as much as he is. There's thumping above on the roof, like heavy footfalls. "Nice to meet you, I'm Arcee," the pink femme greets the flame-painted one, reaching over with a smile. Lockdown is noticed, but not at all recognized. Apparently, he's a rather convincing master of disguise. She also takes notice of Rewind, and she can't help but think that poor little mech must get picked on a lot. She leaves a seat open beside her, just in case he's bold enough to have a seat at the bar. "Hmm...did you hear something??" Arcee asks, glancing up toward the ceiling uncomfortably. Hot Rod keeps a portion of his attention reserved for the door, almost as if he is waiting for someone, which lends him a faint air of distraction. He studies Rewind curiously, although his attention seems mostly to be for the camera rather than his stature or posture. Attention reclaimed by Arcee's question, Hot Rod looks up. He says, "No-o-o? I'm guessing you don't mean the music, huh? That did sound a little ... not musical." There's more movement on the ceiling, and through the stained glass window that shows Cybertron and five moons, two figures can be seen. One is shorter than the other, with finials on the top of its head and two long wing-like projections from its shoulders; the other is large, stocky, and glinting of gold. Rewind walks up, stopping to stare a moment at Hot Rod's...colorfulness. The small 'Bot looks up at him... then seems to remember not to stare and looks for a seat. He spots the seat next to Arcee, and walks up to it. Then he looks to her. She *seems* nice, but... He hesitates a moment, then asks her very politely, "Is this seat taken, ma'am?" Then he, too, notices the noise outside and glances towards the window. He mutters to himself, "Oh... nice lighting. And look at that shadow played against the abstract patterns of the glass..." The camera keeps recording everything. Arcee does a startled double-take when she sees the forms in the window. Was that...?? Wait, there was more than one, so perhaps that wasn't her beloved pet, after all. But what were the odds?? Feral insecticons were almost never seen in the city; at least, she personally had never seen them exploring a city with such boldness. "I wonder what's going on up there," she murmurs in bewilderment, still watching the window curiously. She peers down toward Rewind, and smiles. "Of course you can sit here...are you from the local news?" She peers into the camera, probably giving Rewind a rather distorted shot of her close-up face. Rather than take offense at Rewind's stare, Hot Rod looks more than a little delighted by the attention. (But then, who'd get a paintjob like that if they didn't like the looks, eh? Eh?) "Hey," he greets, easy welcome equal to Rewind as to Arcee. He shoots the window a puzzled glance as much for what Rewind says as for the glimpsed figures that can be seen beyond. "Any idea what that's about?" he asks Arcee sidelong when he catches her double-take. "Or -- hey! Can you get a closer look from here?" he asks, leaning around her to Rewind and miming a gesture that, in some inexplicable way, could be taken to mean zoom in. Or -- punching? It's very unclear. The figures move away from the stained glass. A short distance later, a door in the back of the bar opens. Standing in the doorway is a golden-armored robot with a very distinguished moustache. His face seems to match the face on the sign right outside the entrance. He is talking to what is very obviously a beast-mode Cybertronian in black, purple and yellow. The wings and antennae sort of give him away as an insecticon. The two are having a friendly conversation; nothing's apparently amiss. Rewind looks up at Arcee and allows himself a small chuckle. "No. I work as an archivist and storage... expert, I suppose. And I figure I should get in all the video practice that I can. I don't want to be worried about camera technique or failing to get the right f-stop or something when something important happens." Then he nods. "Thanks!" The small 'Bot then climbs up onto the seat. It's not exactly made for someone of his size, so it's not an easy fit, but... he manages. Finally, he sits there, legs swinging off the seat, and looks over to Hot Rod, whose warm tone is also noted. He's had a lot of experience being talked to like he just doesn't matter... but these people are coming off as OK to him, so far. He takes in Hot Rod's paint job, then comments, "I like your sense of style." Then he notes the gesture, and nods, turning his head to zoom in. The two figures walk in. He doesn't recognize them. "...Anyone here know them?" "Don't know," Arcee admits very quietly to both mechs, pretending to be more interested in her enerdrink than in watching the new arrivals. "That one guy looks like Maccadam, doesn't he? But that...other guy..." It takes a good long moment to sink in, but once Arcee realizes who Maccadam is speaking with, she practically falls off the barstool. "....!!!" "Oh, yeah! I guess he sort of looks like--" Hot Rod gestures, easily expressive, in the direction of the door and the sign outside. "Wow, okay, so best behavior then, right? Can't get thrown out by the owner." Not that he'd ... be ... bad. "Hey, thanks." Hot Rod warms at the compliment. "So what's an f-stop? Video thing? What kind of things do you arch--?" He breaks off at Arcee's reaction, starting to lift a hand to steady her. "--ive?" he finishes off uncertainly. Rewind looks up to Arcee, then back to the two figures. The Insecticon is especially interesting. "Wow, you don't see that every day. Especially around here." He tries to think if he's *ever* seen an Insecticon who looked like that at ALL. Then Arcee almost falls off her barstool. The small mech blinks, and his hands immediately reach over to try and stop Arcee's fall (not that he could do much anyway)... but Hot Rod has things... well in hand. He stares a bit longer at the Insecticon, then blinks and returns his gaze to Hot Rod- and immediately spots off an almost encyclopedic bit of information. "OH! Well! In optics, the f-number (sometimes called focal ratio, f-ratio, f-stop, or relative aperture!) of an optical system is the ratio of the lens's focal length to the diameter of the entrance pupil! In fact, did you know that..." He pauses (giving the indication that he *could* have gone on and one with various geeky bits of information probably only of interest to himself)... but seems to catch himself in time, "Er, I mean... yeah, it helps ensure correct camera exposure. And... well, right now I archive pretty much whatever I'm asked to. Lately it's historical archives- events, famous people, stuff like that." The Insecticon walks out of the office, along with Maccadam himself, towards Arcee. "I believe this little one is looking for you, madam," the older mech says with a faint chuckle, patting Kickback on the shoulder. "Now remember, you have to come in the front door like the other patrons. If you land on the roof, it might damage the glass." "Ah, I'm very sorry sir. I'll use the front door, then," Kickback apologizes. Everyone around them is now staring: One, Maccadam is out of his office, and two, AN ANIMAL JUST STARTED TALKING. "Thank you so much, sir," Arcee says to Maccadam, then she places her hands on Kickback's shoulders. She, apparently, doesn't think anything is weird about this talking animal. Nothing whatsoever. "Where did they take you? Did they hurt you??" The look that crosses Hot Rod's face is not all that dissimilar from the look he wore when Nautica started saying quantum a lot. He listens to Rewind attentively, but it's not all that clear just how much he gets. "Right," he says, less in understanding than in I-am-listening. At the summary, his expression clears, and he says, "Oh, sure. So you've got a /lot/ of history?" (For someone with paint like /that/, he sounds awful interested in history.) When Maccadam and Kickback get closer, he watches them a little curiously -- then a lot curiously. Hot Rod glances from Kickback to Arcee and then back again, but his only question is a fairly easy (somewhat bemused), "Friend of yours? Hel..lo." Rewind stares with the rest as Kickback begins to talk. Then- ooh, ooh, this thing IS on, right? He taps at his camera lens and makes a quick check of systems and... yes, he's getting this. Ha! This is great! This might actually be a real live historical *event*! He can... only hope. He's surprised once again, though, as Arcee walks over and places her hands on the Insecticon. He keeps recording, though he does answer Hot Rod's questions. "Well... some, yes. A few Senator speeches, some ship launches, and now... well, maybe a little bit more, I think..." He says, nodding towards Kickback. Maccadam trundles back to his office, leaving Kickback alone with everyone ever staring at him. He slowly has a look around, and moves closer to Arcee. He'll tell himself later that it's to protect the Queen, but right now, he's feeling more like prey with the eyes of a predator upon him. His wings lower, flatting down against his back instead of standing over his shoulders, and his antennae sweep back over his head. "What did I do?" he asks Arcee nervously. He's not aware that Rewind is recording him nor is he aware that this could be meaningful. All he wanted to do was have something more entertaining than drawing mosaics on the floor of a cage with a stick. "They took me to a 'Technoversity'," Kickback explains to Arcee, the questions finally getting through the layer of nervousness enveloping him like a forcefield. "They didn't hurt me, they just... well it was boring. They were waiting for me to make more of this mouth-speaking all of you do. I was visited by a nice femme, she looked a little like you, but darker. She seemed very angry that I was inside a cage." He tilts his head to the side. "... is there some reason I should not be in a cage?" The doors to Maccaddam's slide open again, and this time a police officer steps through. And not just any officer, one of the highest ranking ones in fact. Prowl doesn't visit bars just to relax and socialize, since relaxing just isn't a thing he does, so there's got to be some reason he's here. And there definitely is. He's looking to speak with Arcee. Yes, he knew she was here. That's what the sky spy network is for. He strides swiftly over to where she and the others are sitting, and addresses her and her only. "Arcee. Do you have a moment?" Arcee nods to Kickback, listening to him intently. "...This other femme you encountered, did she give you her name by any chance? And no, I don't think you need to be living in a cage anymore. You're sentient and you can communicate. That means...well, it pretty much means you're one of us, now." She glances over to Rewind as if suddenly remembering that she's probably being filmed by him, then looks to Hot Rod. "Guys? This is...a really long story. Really complicated, too." When Prowl walks in, Arcee leaves a protective hand on Kickback's shoulder, almost as if she's afraid he's going to get taken away again. "Certainly, sir, how can I help?" Glancing at Rewind behind Arcee's back, Hot Rod mouths a 'wow' of agreement to the nod that he's not quite rude enough to say. (OH WOW A TALKING BUG.) He sort of ... ti-i-ips his glass to squint at the level of liquid (and, for that matter, the color): just double-checking that no one slipped him something a little more exciting than expected. Nope. Looking back up, Hot Rod startles with the reflexive guilt of a troublemaker as Prowl approaches, but it's Arcee that gets his attention with her words. "Long story, huh? I can kind of believe that." He laughs, but it's not unkind as he looks from her to Kickback. His gaze is wondering. "I've got time! Come on, I've gotta hear this one. Hi," he says, a ~master~ conversationalist. Rewind watches Kickback, and while he isn't exactly wanting to run over and hug the creature... he does know all too well what it's like to not quite... fit in. To be looked down upon. So his natural inclination, upon hearing the fear in the Insecticon's tone, is to try and set him at ease. "You didn't do anything wrong." The small 'Bot looks up at Arcee. "So you know him?" Arcee answers the question- sort of, and he nods. He catches Hot Rod's gestures and flashes him a little succession of lights that in Morse Code mean "Yes- pretty amazing, isn't it?"... and then he realizes the odds that anyone else here knows Morse Code is *extremely unlikely*. *siiiigh.* Then Prowl enters, and Rewind watches him stride over. The small mech stiffens slightly, torn between a slight nervousness of his own- and wanting to be sure he gets this all on video. TONIGHT- ON COPS: Cybertron! When Beasts Attack! ...I mean TALK! I mean...oh shut up already and let's just SEE WHAT HAPPENS! Kickback moves in closer to Arcee as Prowl approaches. His wings flip up in a defense display; she's uneasy. Her EMF is swirling with notes of wary-possible-danger, and he's picked up on that. He is interested in what Hot Rod is saying, however (-everything is interesting right now-) so he answers, "Arcee-Queen took care of me, and I have matured enough to transform. Somehow it is amazing to you all that I can use your mouth-noises to communicate with. I am disappointed that none of you wavespeak. It makes things lonely." Prowl nods and sits himself down next to Arcee. "We've identified your attacker." he informs her, bringing out a datapad and showing her a dossier with Drift's face on it. "He was being held at Rodion five megacycles ago for circuit speeder theft and abuse, but escaped not long after his arrest." And suddenly, that Insecticon is...speaking? Hmm. What's going on here, exactly? Optic ridges go up. "Is that yours?" he asks, regarding Kickback. "Wow, you guys work really quick. I wish I could definitely say that was him...it probably *is* him..." Arcee is really hoping she can keep Prowl distracted from noticing Kickback too much, but there's nothing that cop misses, nothing at all. "Oh, him? Well...yes, he's mine. Is, uh...is there an ordinance against having him inside a place like this? I'll take him out if there's a problem." She smiles kindly, hoping the whole talking/sentient thing isn't going to be a big flipping deal, because she has ZERO ideas on how to deal with it if the police decide to impound the poor creature. The blank stare with which Hot Rod greets the succession of flashing lights sure suggests it means no more than 'HEY WOW COOL BLINKY LIGHTS' to him. Try not to be too disappointed in his lack of education; at least he seems to think blinky lights are cool. "Arcee-Queen, huh? Wow, you didn't mention that," Hot Rod teases her. "What's that about?" His glance at her becomes a longer look past her trying to take a peek at the datapad -- not for any good reason, mind you, but just because it is there and he's curious. "You were attacked?" After a moment, he looks back at Kickback. "What's wavespeak? Maybe you can teach us! That'd be awesome." Learning to speak bug: SUPER COOL. "Someone attacked the queen?!" Kickback shouts in alarm. He's ready to go beat a motherboard with another motherboard. Everything else is forgotten. "It was him." Prowl says firmly, despite Arcee's indecisiveness. "It was on the sky spy footage, every bit of it." Nope, there's no question mark here. "I would be careful, he's highly dangerous. We've been attempting to hunt him down for some time now, but he's managed to evade capture thus far." He pauses, frowning pensively. "Are you certain you can't think of a single reason why Drift might be after you or Blast Off? Are either of you acquainted with him?" " He glances up at Kickback, who now seems very concerned for Arcee's well-being, and seems to think of her as some kind of royalty. Interesting. "As for that--no, there isn't an ordinance against it, but I don't think I've ever seen one -speak- before. In fact, I don't think anyone has..." There's another pause, and he appears to be examining Kickback in more detail. "Arcee, I don't believe it is safe for you to bring such a unique specimen into public areas." Or really, to just keep it around her hab suite at all. Arcee smirks slightly at Hot Rod. "It's not really a *formal* title, it's...like I said, complicated. Also, yes, my friend and I were attacked in Vos, while minding our own business." Kickback's sudden defensiveness and alarm gets her a little more nervous, and she tries calming him down. Last thing she needs is for Kicky to get a little crazy and bite Rewind, or scratch up Rod's paint job or bite Prowl's faceplate off! "Easy there, it's okay, I'm right here and I only got some armor dinged up," she says. As she's trying to calm down her...pet bug, she nods and listens to Prowl explain about how dangerous Drift is. "Well I can tell you that I've never had any personal dealings with this mech," she says. "As for Blast Off? I'm not sure. I don't see him every day since he's mostly in Vos and I'm mainly here in Rodion." She peers at Kickback. "I'm not sure what to do with him, Officer...but I agree, I don't want him getting hurt. I only just found him again, he'd been missing for a little while." "Why would I not be safe?" Kickback questions Prowl now. He can see the subtle shift of Prowl's EMF, the guarded, serious and suspicious spectrum radiating from out of the police mech. "Is this not your hive? Do you not share your minds with each other? Do you not act under the guidance of the f-Who-Is-Aware?" "Where's your sense of fun?" Hot Rod asks when Prowl goes on about ~safety~, rather than wisely (or politely) remain quiet. "Besides, this is kind of a big deal, right?" He gestures widely. "So maybe -- sorry, what should we call you?" he asks, interrupting himself to get introductions to the pet bug. "Maybe he wants to celebrate. With his Queen. Which really sounds like a story I'm still waiting to hear." "Hrm." Prowl looks pensive again, then stands up. No, Hot Rod, Prowl does not have a sense of fun. At all. "No," he answers the Insecticon. "We are not a gestalt consciousness or hivemind, if that's what you're asking. Therefore, others' reactions to this new phenomenon may not be quite as placid as yours. He may be better off somewhere more protected." Plus, this talking animal thing might cause some serious chaos. And chaos -must- be prevented at all costs! Arcee begins getting kind of upset. She's really afraid Prowl's just going to confiscate Kickback, just when she's gotten him back. "Please, don't take him!" she pleads. "I can find a safe place for him if that's the issue, but please don't put him in a zoo enclosure or sell him to some institute or...or put him in a brig! I'm not sure...how, or /why/, but...he can think. And talk. He didn't start out that way, but that's how he is now. It just...wouldn't be ethical to lock him away where he couldn't interact with anyone." She shoots Rod a worried look. She's definitely not going to let the bug go easily, if at all. "You must be very lonely," Kickback surmises aloud, feeling pity for all of them while looking directly at Prowl. "I am sorry for you. Being alone inside your mind must be painful." He has no clue as to what sort of thin ice he may be skating; he's a total innocent. Hot Rod's question don't fall on deaf... antennae. "Since Arcee took care of me, she must be the one that hatched me, and thus, she is my Queen. I am not certain why I cannot hear her mind, but it might be something wrong with me." "Hey, slow down, don't give him ideas," Hot Rod hisses to Arcee when she lists off all the possible terrible things that No Fun Prowl could do with Kickback. "First rule!" Hot Rod backs Arcee (and Kickback!) up with rather ready firmness considering he met her, /them/ -- oh ... you know. Minutes ago. He straightens, facing Prowl. "Yeah! It wouldn't be ethical. And I think he should get some say in th--" He blinks to a halt, visibly tripping over the whole 'hatched me, Queen, et cetera' thing. He eventually finishes the words with a sort of puzzled hiss: "--is." Rewind has been quietly recording this the whole time... and it's top-quality stuff. A-Roll. Totally A-Roll, no B-roll here. The small mech almost twitches with excitement every now and then. Hot Rod's compassion towards the femme and even the BUG he doesn't know isn't lost on the low caste disposable. Rewind looks up at him, making sure to get him on video- and from a flattering angle, too- though every angle seems to be a flattering one for this guy. He gives a nod of his head and pipes in, "Yes... he should get some say. A little victory for an Insecticon is a little victory for ALL low castes. "I highly doubt that." Prowl says with a shake of his head. "How can you simply keep him away from the public's optics? Look, I understand you've grown...fond of each other, but unfortunately we can't just let mass hysteria break out because some sort of -emotional- attachment." Yeah, pfff, emotions. Such inconveniences. So unpredictable and irrational. "And what, you think -he- should be the one to decide his own fate? He hardly understands the structure of our society, he can't be expected to be capable of making a wise decision in the matter." He starts toward the door, basically ignoring Hot Rod because what the slag does he have to do with any of this anyway? "You have two full megacycles to turn him over to police custody. The city council will then determine where he ought to be sent. And don't worry I'm sure the research will involve -plenty- of interaction." Then he's out the door. Arcee shakes her head, too distraught to even come up with a rejoinder -- then the split second that Prowl's out the door, Arcee begins sobbing loudly into her hands. "Nooooooooooo--" This is all very, very disturbing and unsettling for someone who's effectively a week old. Kickback's wings slip down, hanging limply from his shoulders, as he watches Arcee simply crumble emotionally in front of him. "What is wrong?" he asks Arcee, alarmed. "I don't understand what is happening, why are you mourning?" Hot Rod carries himself like he's the protagonist of his own personal epic, despite Prowl's cold brush-off. He doesn't /actually/ shift to put himself in the best possible light of Rewind's camera, but -- uh ... he does turn a little. "I think everyone deserves a say in their own fate," he shoots hot at Prowl's back. They are careless words, but even the most thoughtless of offhand comments can be filled with a lot of political subtext of late. Startled by Arcee's outburst, he exchanges a look with Rewind and Kickback. Help, crying femme! He pats her shoulder. Pat, pat. Did that fix it? No? "Hey, wait. Look, you can't turn him over if you can't find him, right?" Rewind is recording this all... but his glee at getting something that might be "historical" is fading as he realizes that this "history" he's recording may just be yet another injustice. Or worse yet- a tragedy. His blue optics dim slightly, and a small hand reaches over to try patting the sobbing Arcee on her side... well, he can't quite reach her shoulder, can he? He looks back over to Hot Rod. "...What did you have in mind?" Of course, he's asking that with a camera recording..... "I'm...afraid," Arcee admits. Later in her life, she won't be nearly as quick to admit this, but she'll admit it in her current company. "I don't want to give you up, Kickback, I feel...responsible for you now, in a way, and now I'm going to be forced to surrender you to the police." She sighs quietly, trying for a smile for Rod and for Rewind. "...Thanks. I don't know if this can end well." Kickback places both his hands on Arcee's shoulders and looks her in the optics. "It is my job to protect -you-. It is no longer your job to protect me. I will go wherever I need to go, so long as you are safe, and you are not grieved." "Will you be safe if I leave?" "..." Arcee wasn't quite expecting such a response from the young insecticon. "I'll...be safe, yes. But I want *you* to be safe, too!" "We'll figure something out," Hot Rod tells Rewind without so much as the flicker of a glance to his camera. His gaze is steady and his smile easy, as if confident that Rewind wouldn't possibly sell out their (his) great plan. Which he doesn't have yet. BUT IT WILL BE GREAT. Showing the tiniest shred of tact, Hot Rod doesn't interrupt the moment between Arcee and Kickback. Not immediately, anyway. Then he says, "She won't be able to do what he said if she can't find you, though. It's great!" Rewind isn't the type to sell someone out... especially someone struggling against the kind of prejudice he's all too familiar with himself. He watches Arcee and Kickback, looks back to the mech with the flames, and nods. He states softly, "Good luck." "I will be fine," Kickback reassures Arcee. "There are other hives in this city. Down deep, I have sensed them. I can go there if I need to, but I need to know more about the rules of this city, and the way things work." He looks at Hot Rod, taking one hand off Arcee but loosely leaving the other. "Do you know where I can go to learn these things? I will go wherever you wish. I am Kickback, and I am a swarmer." "Oh, uh, rules." Hot Rod looks stumped. He glances, somewhat inevitably, after the departed Prowl -- surely the MASTER of rules -- before he thinks better of that terrible idea. His gaze lands on Rewind and his expression brightens. He points. "He knows everything. He's brilliant. He said so. I bet he can help you with stuff," he suggests. Arcee slowly glances over toward Hot Rod. She barely knows the mech as she's only just met him, but he does seem to have a generous nature and a caring spark for Kickback's plight. Then, she seems to remember something, and she looks back over toward Rewind. "You been filming all of this?" Rewind blinks as Hot Rod points at him. "Who? What? ME?" The small mech nearly falls out his seat this time... and for him that'd be a long way down. He looks from Arcee to Hot Rod, looking flustered. "I... I'm just an archivist. That's all... I..." He turns to look at Arcee as she asks him a question. There's a pause... he's almost afraid to say yes... afraid she'd get angry, and he'd be in trouble... but she *seems* nice. "...Yes." "...Maybe we could keep in touch? Here, I'll give you my frequency, I might need that footage to get Kicky back from the maze of bureaucratic red tape," Arcee tells Rewind. Yes, Rewind is getting the pretty femme's frequency before Mr. Fabulous-in-Flames. But it's for a good reason! "See? Archivist. That means you know stuff, rules, about the city." Hot Rod's enthusiasm grows; the longer he thinks about it, the more brilliant his suggestion becomes inside his head. He is self-reinforcing. (This explains a lot. Like why he would throw himself into matters that COMPLETELY don't concern him convinced he can fix it.) Hot Rod only looks pleased to see his BRILLIANT PLAN going into motion -- even if that does mean Rewind gets the number. "Just remember to make yourself scarce in two megacycles," he reminds Kickback. Rewind blinks. He... certainly wasn't expecting THAT. He looks up into Arcee's kind face, and nods... looking a little dazed. "I...uh, yeah, sure!" He nods again, this time a little more enthusiastically. Then he looks over to Hot Rod... wow, these two seem like such nice individuals. Rewind's just a little... surprised. But in a good way. "Uh... sure, Ok. I'll... do my best!" This is actually kind of exciting.